Mexico City Lawmaker Moves To Ban Refrigerated Beer Sales

The cartels aren’t going to be happy about this, but neither is the public.

Here’s the deal…

A Mexico City legislator has introduced a proposal to ban the sale of cold beer at convenience stores. The idea, according to the Business Insider, is that the ban will help stop public and underage drinking by limiting alcoholic beverages that are readily available in the sprawling metropolis, but locals are having none of it.

The motion would revise the Law of Commercial Establishments to disallow retailers from selling refrigerated beverages under 7% alcohol, (although it’s unclear whether this is 7% alcohol by weight or by volume, but whatever).

According to El Universal, the proposal also require shops to post signs reminding customers of the fines and penalties they could face for drinking in public.

Maria de Lourdes Paz Reyes, who entered the motion, explained the initiative as a response to the reported rise in chelerías…beer outlets, which some say have led to widespread occurrences of public drunkenness and disorderly conduct in Mexico City.

The proposal would also require beers sold at chelerías and other beer outlets to be packaged in closed containers.

Not surprisingly public sentiment in Mexico City has been overwhelmingly negative.

And a backlash has coalesced on social media around the hashtag #Don’tMessWithOurBeer (#ConLasCervezasNo) with users reacting to the proposals with disbelief.

“They talk about legalizing marijuana while banning cold beers,” one user responded.

“They can burn our fields, kill our children, take our women, but they can never take away the vice,” another said.

Yet another person added that warm beer would not stop him from drinking: “I don’t even stop drinking beer when I have gout.”